And all it took was a persistent career-services official and some pamphlets.

Unpaid internships have long been considered useful foot-in-door experiences for college students seeking careers in publishing or the arts. But as the Journal notes today, the internship landscape has changed dramatically in recent months thanks to pushes from lawmakers, lawyers and interns themselves.

Some of the change is also being spurred by school administrators. Amy Bravo, assistant dean of career services at the New York Institute of Technology, has become known in career-services circles for her success converting unpaid jobs into paid ones.